What I Learned From Watching Every Pokemon Movie
How do you sum up the lessons learned from watching 22 years worth of Pokemon movies back to back? ‘You can overcome any hurdle with the power of friendships’ is the easy answer. ‘We’re all from the same planet and it’s our duty to protect it’ is another. In truth, the Pokemon movie series is what you would expect it to be: Ash and Pikachu saving the world, protecting Pokemon from evil men, and teaching people and Pokemon to love one another. It’s not a series that has evolved or matured much across its 23 entries (plus Detective Pikachu, which is not a Pokemon movie) and its stories aren’t some essential part of Pokemon canon that you’re otherwise missing out on - but that doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer.
The movies bring the world of Pokemon to life and give purpose and personality to so many Pokemon that we’ve only ever known as sprites and digital screeching sounds. They boldly explore the complicated relationship between people and Pokemon and are never afraid to ask hard questions, even when they can’t offer us an answer. They experiment with genre and borrow liberally from popular fiction to tell familiar stories in a unique way. On occasion, they manage to address complex issues with tact and nuance. For being an annual series of direct-to-DVD kids movies, there’s a lot to love about the Pokemon film series.
Related: What's Going On With The Next Pokemon Movie?
The Pokemon movies are divided into six eras that roughly align with the game series. The first five movies all take place during the Indigo League anime series and represent the first two Pokemon game generations. Most people have probably seen Mewtwo Strikes Back and Pokemon 2000, but the series really starts to find its footing in Pokemon 3.
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